Frank a



WR F. A. HOUOK.

CLOTHES POUNDBR.

No. 249,940. y Patented Nov. 22,1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. HOUOK, OF HOLDEN, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM M.OOVENTRY, OF SAME PLACE.

CLOTHES-POUNDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,940, dated November22, 1881.

Application filed September 15, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK A. HoUcK, of Holden, in the county of Johnsonand State of Missouri, have invented certain Improvements inClothes-Founders; and I hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-Figurel isaperspective viewof the pounder, looking into the base. Fig. 2is a vertical sectional view.

The. object of my invention is to provide a clothes-pounder whichwilleiiciently and rapidly clean clothes 5 and my invention consists incertain details of construction, as will be hereinafter described, andspecifically claimed.

In order that those skilled in the art may make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A represents the l'unnel-shaped base, B the pipe,and C the enlargement forming the valve-chamber. Two rods, a a, entersockets b b, which lie along opposite sides ot' tube B, and, spreading,furnish snpports for a cross-bar handle, l), by which the machine ismoved up andv down. Near the end of the base, as seen in Fig. 2, issecured a diaphragm, E, provided with a central opening, c. Secured tothe diaphragm are a series ot' radial vanes, d, which meet at the centerand are secured to a ring, t', smaller than the opening in diaphragm E.These vanes at their outer ends are ot' a depth equal to the distancefrom the edge ot the base to the diaphragm, and graduallyrecede in widthas they approach the center, so that in general outline the baseportions strike the clothes. Near the upper end is a valve, R, whichoperates in a manner usual with pounders of this class. The advantage ofthe concaved bottom is that the outcil edge pressing down over theclothes farther than the center holds the clothes in a looselike bunchwhile the pressure ot' the air forces the suds through them more rapidlythan when the clothes are pressed down ilat together.

I am aware that heretofore clothes-pounders have been made with flaringbases, air-valves at their tops,pdiaphragms in their bases, divided invarious ways, and hence I make no broad claim to any part of thismachine; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

Iu a clothes-pounder provided at its upper end with a valve andvalve-chamber, the aring base, provided with a diaphragm having acentral opening, in combination with and attached to a series of radialvanes, d, secured to a central ring, Ii, having their outer ends ofgreater width than their inner ends, substantially as and for thepurposeset forth.

.FRANK A. HOUCK.

Witnesses: l

JOHN J. SMITH, A. A. STEWART.

